Secret Square Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Set Up
• Playing the Game
• Asking Questions
• Answering Questions and Removing Squares
• Ending a Round
• Starting Another Round
• Exposing the Secret Square by Mistake
• Ending the Game

Object

To collect the most chips.

Set Up

1. Before playing for the first time, stick one sticker to the top of each square, as shown in Diagram 1 at right.
2. Choose 25 squares, at random.
3. Place the 25 squares, with the stickers face up, in 5 columns of 5 rows each, as shown on the left side of Diagram 2.
4. Give 3 chips to the youngest player (the "Hider" for the first round) and 7 chips to all other players (the "Seekers" for the first round).
5. All Seekers close their eyes. The Hider hides one chip under a square (this square is the "secret square" for this round). After hiding the chip, the Hider tells the Seekers to open their eyes.

Diagram 1 shows the sticker placed on the top of a square, face up.

Playing the Game

Secret Square is played in rounds. A new round starts each time a Hider hides a chip.

Asking Questions

1. Starting with the player on the Hider's left, Seekers take turns asking questions about the pictures on the squares to discover which square hides the chip.

2. Seekers may ask any question, as long as it can be answered by "Yes" or "No." For example, Seekers may ask:

   • "Can it fly?"
   • "Is it made by humans?"
   • "Is it bigger than a breadbox?"
   • "Is it in the top row?"
   • "Does it have the letter "B" in its name?"

   Seekers may not ask:

   • "What color is it?"
   • "Which column is it in?"
   • "What letter does its name start with?"

3. Each time that they ask a question, Seekers give one chip to the Hider.

4. A Seeker continues a turn as long as the answer is "Yes." As soon as a Seeker asks a question that is answered with "No," play passes to the left (clockwise).

Answering Questions and Removing Squares

1. After receiving a chip, the Hider answers the question.
2. After answering, the Hider removes all the squares that don't match the answer (see Diagrams 2 and 3), and places them back in the box. They will not be used again during this round.

Diagram 2 gives an example: if the question is "Can it fly?" and the answer is "Yes," the Hider removes all the squares with pictures of things that cannot fly. Diagram 3 gives the other case: if the answer is "No," the Hider removes all the squares with pictures of things that can fly (leaving the things that cannot fly).

Ending a Round

1. The round ends when a Seeker names the secret square.
2. Place one of the squares, face down, on the table as a counter for the number of rounds completed.

Starting Another Round

The Seeker who found the secret square collects the chip and becomes the Hider for the next round.

Exposing the Secret Square by Mistake

If the Hider accidentally shows the chip under the secret square or forgets which square is the secret square, the Seekers close their eyes and Hider hides the chip under a new square. This square replaces the old square as the secret square for this round.

Ending the Game

1. The game ends after 6 rounds, or when one player runs out of chips.
2. The player with the most chips wins.